ITU Makes Recommendations For 3DTV, Ultra HDTV For Global Adoption

When it comes to complicated standards, a lot of work goes into making sure the right moves are made. It took a long, long time for the 802.11 standards to be finalized for use in Wi-Fi hotspots around the globe, and with 3DTV, Ultra HD TV and 4K/8K TV right around the bend, the ITU is now making recommendations that it hopes will make things easier when it comes to adoption. It's also intended to formalize things in a way that'll broaden the reach globally. ITU's Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) has developed the standards – or Recommendations – in collaboration with experts from the television industry, broadcasting organizations and regulatory institutions.

When it comes to Ultra High Definition TV, the group has submitted a new proposal for approval, and it's saying that the "advances made with each of these quality steps are roughly similar to the step from the old 'standard definition television' to 'high definition television (HDTV)'. HDTV pictures today have the equivalent of between 1-2 megapixels. The first level of UHDTV picture levels has the equivalent of about 8 megapixels (3 840 x 2 160 image system), and the next level comes with the equivalent of about 32 megapixels (7 680 x 4 320 image system). As a shorthand way of describing them, they are sometimes called the '4K' and '8K' UHDTV systems.

Ultra high definition picture quality is accompanied by improved color fidelity, and options for higher numbers of pictures per second than for today's television systems.
ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré praised the work of ITU-R Study Group 6. "UHDTV is an earth-shaking development in the world of television," Dr Touré said. "Watching UHDTV in the near future will be a breath taking experience, and I look forward to it."

Caught up in the mumbo-jumbo? Have a look at the video above to get an insider-baseball look at how the technologies we enjoy start as mere conversations.